In the Club....

[techogurl]

I'm in the club now! I got my Prius on Friday. Have been very excited! Only bummer was the RUDE finance guy. So BOO on him.

Now I've got a few ?s:

Should I be concerned that my battery has never been full? When I picked it up from the dealership it was at 2 bars. I think someone left it on. Since then I've had all but one bar to being full, but never full battery.

For the first tank of gas getting 383 miles is low, high, or avg? This was from driving in city, boonies, and highway in terrain varying from flat to hills/mountains. I am currently using factory settings for the tires, but plan to set them at 42/40 soon.

Speaking of fuel economy, have any of you opted to go without the spare tire? I figure that it would maybe get a mpg more and wouldn't be too big of a deal if you already pay for roadside assistance vs the extra weight you'd have to carry around for the few times you might use it.

Last thing... I can't seem to get the Bluetooth to work with my phone. Am I missing something?

Thanks everyone for reading

[tntna]

Hey welcome! We got our 2005 last Weds. I don't have a lot of answers for you though. I like the idea of getting rid of the spare tire. I have never used it on the 2001 Prius, though I have gotten two flats in the car. As soon as I remove the tire, I know I'll need it.

I can't say that I recall ever seeing a full battery. I drove 350 miles highway after I picked up the car, and didn't look at the Energy screen. I had it on MAP pretty much all the time.

[jchu]

The battery charge is computer controlled and aimed in part to optimize battery life. Therefore the battery genie aims to keep the battery somewhere in the midrange sweet spot. Not to full and not too empty... Kinda like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

[disneydad]

If the ICE charged the battery to full, you would not have any room for in-coming energy when you use your breaks.

[rflagg]

First, Congrats!!!

The battery is normally at a low SOC at pickup - no worries there.

Secondly - you said you got 383 miles - what was your tank mpg on the Consumption screen? And did you only have one bar left when you filled, or had it already started blinking, or were there more bars?

As far as bluetooth settings, what kind of phone do you have? My p800 wouldn't work with the car, you'll find that just because a phone has bluetooth, doesn't necessarily mean it'll work in the prius, unfortunately. Enjoy your driving!!

-m.

[Pixie]

It's hard to know where to put the 383 miles without knowing how much of the tank you went through before refilling. What did the computer say your mpg was?

I've been told that as the car breaks in, the gas mileage will improve. Also, there seem to be two break in periods. The first one is for the first 2-3k miles. There is supposed to be another at around 5-6k, although I haven't hit that one yet.

I just put my fifth tank of gas in the car yesterday and can tell you from experience that my mpg is improving as the car breaks in and I learn to drive more efficiently. I usually go around 400 miles between fill ups (9-ish gallons).

One other thing to note is that your mpg will be lower in the winter because the combustion engine has to run longer to heat the car up.

[techogurl]

The 383 miles I got was noted when the light started blinking, so no more bars and potentially little gas left. My consumption screen said something in the lower 40s I believe. I honestly can't remember exactly.

As for the phone, it's an Audiovoxx SMT 5600. I know others on the board are using it with no probs, but I can't get it to link. So maybe I'm doing something wrong and thought that if someone else told me how they did any cell phone... perhaps I'd find my error. *fingers crossed*

[mss]

I for one would not get rid of the spare, but perhaps that stems from my self-sufficient mentality. I need to feel I have some control over a situation.

A few months ago I had a flat just as I pulled in to a restaurant. I called AAA and went in for dinner. When I came out, still no service. I called and they said they were on their way.

I decided to change the tire myself. I was done and ready to go in about 5 min. Called AAA to cancel - Never even saw a technician and I would have been waiting over an hour! :x

I never like being at someonelse's mercy. If I were in a bad neighborhood I would have really been nervous.

My $.02, YMMV

- Jim

[BobA]

CONGRATS, techogurl.. enjoy your new Prius...

Bob Andersen

[removeum]

8) Did you own a 04 Prius when you had the flat tire and if so why did you not use your Toyota Roadside assistance for Prius?

It states they will change flat tires with an inflated spare.

Ben